Vaporizer for gaseous-fuel burners.



No. 805,373. PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905. R. J. MINER.

VAPORIZBR FOR GASEOUS FUEL BURNBRS.

APPLICATION FILED }EB.20,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 805,373. PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905.

R. J. MINER. VAPORIZER FOR GASEOUS FUEL BURNERS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1905.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

: van-Z022.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT J. MINER, OF GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT CENTURY-AUTO POWER COMPANY, A

AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO CORPORATION OF NEW' JERSEY.

VAPORIZER FOR GASEOUS-FUEL BURNERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application filed February 20, 1905. Serial No. 246,369.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT J. MINER, of the town of Greenwich, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vaporizers for Gaseous-Fuel Burners, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming apart of the same.

The vaporizer in the present invention is formed of a U-shaped tube, having two legs which are connected to couplings by which the liquid fuel is introduced to one leg and the vapor withdrawn from the other. The two legs of such atube are preferably made integral with one another to avoid the necessity of joints; but such construction necessarily makes them of the same thickness, and as the liquid fuel is vaporized in one of the legs much more thoroughly than the other such leg is more exposed to the injurious effect of the heat; and the invention therefore provides a reinforcing-shell, which is fitted over such leg to give it the same durability as the other, which is protected by the liquid fuel within it. The invention employs that form of so-called space-filler within the legs which produces a film of liquid in contast with the heated wall of the tube; but such space-filler in the present invention is provided upon its inner end with an elongated flat scraper having opposite sharp parallel edges which can be used to clean the tube whenever the space-filler is withdrawn by rotating the space-filler during its Withdrawal.

The invention also includes a casing for connecting the tube-couplings to the shell of the vapor-burner, arranged to receive the heat from the starting-torch and from the flame of the burner, so as to prevent condensation of the vapor when generated, also an improved form of floating valve, fitted to the supplypipe and constructed to be rotated by the passage of the fluid and to permit the leakage or passage of liquid past the valve when seated to prevent the extinguishment of the burner.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of a burner with the improved vaporizer fixed thereon. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same with the shell of the burner in section on line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of the vaporizer and its attachments in section where hatched at the center line. Fig. 4 is a section on lineet 4 in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a section on line 6 6 in Fig. 3, and Fig. 7 is a similar section showing an alternative construction for the valve.

rizing, and the coupling cl has a branch f discharging the gas into the mixing-tube g, which delivers the mixture to the burner-chamber a. The couplings are provided with shanks h, which are extended through holes in the rear side 21 of a casing and locked therein by nuts h, the casing having four sides j provided with flange 70, by which it is attached to the shell a of the burner. The side of the shell where the casing is attached has an aperture Z, which exposes the couplings (Z d to the heat of the flame over the burner and especially to the jet of flame directed upon the vaporizer when starting the burner by the starting-torch m. Such jet is indicated by the dotted lines n, extending from the torch through the aperture Z into the casing around the couplings.

The vapor-pipe f is inserted through an aperture in the bottom side of the casing to connect with its coupling CZ, and the pipe "6 is connected with the side of the coupling (Z by a valve-box 0, having a shank p, which is inserted through the side of the casing into the coupling (Z.

The valve-box has a cap 9 screwed in its outer end, connecting with the supply-pipe e, and the passages of the pipe 6 and of the shank p are in line with one another, so that the inner end of the valve-box and the face of the plug 9 form valve-seats upon the passages, with central seat-openings.

The valve consists of a longitudinallygrooved plug fitted to slide in the chamber and contact with the seats at its opposite ends. The valve is formed with spiral grooves 1 upon its periphery, so that the liquid, which is supplied under pressure, operates when passing through the chamber to rotate the valve and change its relation to the chamber and the seats. Such rotation is very advantageous, as the seats are liable to be clogged with various deposits which prevent the valve from operating properly, and the rotation of the valve operates to remove such deposits from the seats or from the cylindrical wall of the chamber.

It will be understood that the valve stands normally between the two seats, furnishing a relatively free movement for the oil through the grooves upon the valve-body. The valve is set in this intermediate position by any pressure which moves it away from one of the seats, as the liquid causing such pressure is as soon as the valve is pressed away from the seat diffused into the grooves upon the valve and passes through the valve-box into the opposite seat-opening without seating the valve, and a normal demand for the oil is thus supplied by the passage of the oil through the grooves upon the valve; but the valve is pressed against one of the seats by any abnormal variation of pressure, such as is produced when an excess or deficiency of liquid is supplied to the burner, as an excess produces a rapid generation of gaseous vapor, which presses backwardly through the shank 19 and forces the valve against the seat of the cap q, thus temporarily checking the flow of liquid.

The consumption of the liquid supplied to the vaporizer reduces the pressure upon the valve and permits the liquid-supply to force the valve from the seat in the cap, the liquid then passing chiefly through the spiral channels to enter the passage in the shank j). The normal movement of the liquid then continues through the spiral channels or grooves upon the valve-plug, and any abnormal movement forces the valve against the seat in the shank, and thus prevents the vaporizer from being flooded.

My invention includes a special provision in the construction of the floating valve to maintain the combustion continuously and prevent the burner from being extinguished. This provision consists of a passage to permit the leakage of liquid past the valve when the valve is seated, so that a small supply of liquid is able to pass continuously to the vaporizer. The passage may be formed as a small hole 8, extended through the valve, as shown in Fig. 6, or it may be formed by extending the grooves, as shown in Fig. 7, upon the exterior of the plug near enough to the center to overlap on the seat-openings, so that when the valve is closed a small supply of the liquid can escape into the grooves, and thus supply the vaporizer. When the grooves are made of such depth, a very small portion of the seat-opening is uncovered when the valve is engaged with either seat, and such opening forms a passage for the escape of the liquid as desired. The grooves, whatever their depth, are preferably made spiral, so as to cause a rotation of the valve as the liquid moves through the grooves. If the valve closes the pipe 0 positively, there would be a liability of bursting the vaporizer-tube by confining the gas or the extinguishment of the fire by the cessation of vaporization before the tank-pressure could overcome the back pressure of the gas and the supply be renewed to the vaporizer.

The vaporizer is shown supported above the perforations of the burner, as is common, with the couplings upon its legs projected beyond the edge of the burner to receive the necessary pipe connections.

The legs I) b of the vaporizer are provided each with the space-filler 25, having a cylindrical body a little smaller than the tube to form a film of oil or gas close to the surface of the vaporizing-tube, each space-filler being engaged in one of the couplings (Z cl by screwthread it with shank o for turning the same.

The inner end of the space-filler is formed with a fiat scraper w of considerably greater length than diameter, having opposite parallel edges with sharp corners upon the edges, "as

shown in Fig. 4, so that when the interior of the vaporizer becomes fouled the space-filler may be rotated by the shank Q) and then operates to thoroughly scrape and clean the interior of the tube. Such rotation of the space- {iller is caused by the turning of the screwthread in the coupling and can be continued after the thread is cleared from the coupling, so that the scraper operates throughout the entire length of the vaporizer-tube to thoroughly clean the same.

A flat scraper with sharp corners is much more effective than any construction having teeth, which are liable to be clogged, and the corners upon a flat scraper operate with equal effectiveness when it is rotated in both directions, so that it operates in cleaning the tube when inserted in or removed from the same.

The effectiveness of the scraper is secured by making its length much greater than its diameter, as shown in Fig. 3, so that it operates simultaneously upon a considerable portion of the tube as it is turned around in its withdrawal therefrom.

\Vith the present vaporizer it is found that the oil circulates within the leg]; of the vaporizer, and thus prevents such leg from becoming overheated, but that the oil flashes into vapor in the bend a and that the gas which passes through the leg 6 does not conduct away the heat from the same with sufficient rapidity to prevent the tube from being overheated and burned. To secure the best results in such a vaporizer, it is necessary to make the tube quite thin where the freshly-.

entering oil circulates and is heated to the vaporizing-point, and if the entire tube were made heavy the rapid vaporization could not be effected.

To obviate the burning of the leg 6, which does not contain the freshly-supplied oil, I employ the reinforcing-shell 5 which is readily fitted over the leg 5 and secures the same result as has heretofore been attained by making the vaporizer in separate parts jointed together, with a greater thickness in the part which was exposed to the greatest heat.

By making the legs straight I am enabled readily to apply the reinforcing-shell 6 over the leg 6 and am thus enabled, primarily, to make the vaporizer of a very thin tube and to bend the same'into the form of a U, so as to employ an integral construction, and thus avoid joints betweenthe two legs and yet obtain a greater thickness of metal between the flame and thecontents of the tube in one of the legs. The encircling shell thus reinforces the thin tube at the precise point where it requires such reinforcement, and thus prevents it from burning out, while it permits the remainder of the tube to be thin where it is desirable for the heat to act upon the entire entering oil. Although this expenditure is very cheap, it is exceedingly effective and adds enormously to the durability of the vaporizer.

The entire construction furnishes a very effective vaporizer which will supply vapor to the burner in a perfectly uniform manner, owing to the automatic regulation effected by the floating valve, the protection of the couplings from radiation to chill the gas, in which the legs of the vaporizer can be readily cleaned by means of the elongated scraping edges upon the inner end of the space-filler, and in which the frequent renewal of the vaporizertube is avoided by reinforcing the side in which the gas circulates.

It will be noticed in Fig. 3 that the liquid or gaseous fuel in the straight legs of the vaporizer is by the use of the solid cylindrical space fillers held in a film close to the heated wall of the tube and that the straight form of the legs permits the space-fillers to be' readily withdrawn and also permits one of the legs to be reinforced by the exterior shell 6 over the precise portion which incloses one of the space-fillers and in which the tube is not protected from the heat by contact with the freshly-supplied liquid fuel.

Unless the legs of the vaporizer were integral with one another they could be readily made of different thicknesses to accomplish the same result; but the integral character of the structure necessitates the use of the separate shell 6 which forms a special feature of my invention. The straight form of the legs and their integral connection thus permits the use of the space-fillers, while it necessitates the employment of the sleeve 5 if a reinforcement of one of the legs be provided.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention. what is claimed herein is l. The combination, with a vaporizer-tube, of a pipe for supplying the same, a valvechamber inserted in the pipe and having seats at opposite ends, a valve movable between the seats and fluted spirally to cause its rotation, and having a passage to permit the leakage of liquid past the valve when the valve is seated.

2. A gaseous-fuel burner having the gaschamber with perforated top, the U-shaped vaporizer supported above the perforations with its legs projected beyond the edge of the burner, couplings upon the legs, a casing inclosing the couplings to protect them from radiation and open toward the burner, and a torch upon the opposite side of the burner arranged and operated to project its flame upon the vaporizer and into the casing, to maintain the temperature of the couplings and prevent the condensation of gas.

3. In a gaseous-fuel burner, the combination,with the body of the burner having cham ber with perforated top and shell projected upwardly from the top, of the casing j fitted to the side of the shell with perforation through the shell into the casing, and the easing closed upon the bottom and all other sides, the branch couplings (Z, (Z having shanks 7:. locked in the outer side of the casing, the U-shaped vaporizer having its legs connected with the couplings, and the supply-pipe c and gas-discharge pipe f being extended through the wall of the casing into the sides of their respective couplings, as and for the purpose set forth.

i. A vaporizer having a vaporizer-tube of U shape with parallel legs 6, a, with integral connection 0 at one end and provided at the opposite ends with branch couplings (Z, (Z, connected respectively to the oil-supply and the vapor-discharge pipes,cylindrical spacefillers t a little smaller than the tube extended within the legs through the greater part of their parallel portions, and engaged in their respective couplings by screw-threads a, and provided upon their inner ends with flat scrapers having opposite parallel edges, with sharp corners,extended in the remainder of the parallel portions of the legs, the tube being of relatively thin metal, and the vaporholding leg 6 having the reinforcing-shell Z2 fitted thereon over the portion containing its space-filler, to protect such leg from excessive heat.

5. In avaporizer, the combination,with the body of the burner having chamber a with perforated top and shell a projected upwardly from the top, of the U-shaped vaporizer-tube formed in one piece with two parallel legs 6, b, lying horizontally at equal distances from the top of the burner and equally exposed to from excessive heat.

the heat of the same, and having their ends In testimony whereof I have hereunto set extended through the side of the shell (0 and my hand in the presence of two subscribing connected outside of the shell respectively Witnesses.

With the oil-supply and the vapor-discharge 1 ROBERT J. MINER. [L. s] pipes, and the vapnr-holding leg 6 having the Witnesses: reinforcing-tube b fitted thereon to protectit KATHARINE EIsELER,

GEO. P. CHURCHILL. 

